Stretcher support



June 10, 1952 w. F. RIEMVIS STRETCHER SUPPORT 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed NOV. 50, 1948 IINVENTOR. 2 0? W5 June 10, 1952 w, RlEMVls 2,599,863

STRETCHER SUPPORT Fild NOV. 30, 1948 2 SHEETS'-SHEET '2 Patented June 10, 1 952;:

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Iir-the Netherlands Decemlienlfi; I947 2 GIaiinse (Cl. 2483 4323 The invention relates to a stretcher support of the type comprising a pair of spaced parallel longitudinal upper members adapted to support the legs of a stretcher, said upper members being supported on a pair of spaced parallel lower members. The stretcher is placed on the first mentioned spring supported members, which may be channel-shaped and if the stretcher has two front and two rear legs the front leg and the rear leg located at the same side of the stretcher will be supported by the one upper member, while the front and the rear leg located at the other side of the stretcher will be supported by the other upper member.

Up to now the distance between the two parallel upper members was invariable. This has the serious drawback that when a transport, e. g. when passing the frontier between two countries, had to be interrupted for instance due to the required transfer of the stretcher from an arriving train to a train ready for going off, it was never certain whether the stretcher could be placed on a stretcher support in the latter train, since these supports are not standardized, so that it often happened that in one country the support was constructed for another width between the two front and the two rear legs of a stretcher than in another country.

The invention has for its object to remove this drawback. To this end according to the invention the lower members and thereby the upper members are adapted to be adjusted and fixed in various stretcher receiving positions relatively to one another. Preferably according to the invention means are provided so as to prevent the upper and lower members from being relatively longitudinally shifted during the adjustment to another relative spacing.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in and will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a stretcher support according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a corresponding view, however, in another position, in which the support has been adjusted for the supporting 01' a stretcher of a smaller width,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device, and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a modification of this stretcher support.

The support according to Figs. 1-3 comprised a pair of parallel lower or ground members in the form of flat strips I and 2, whereon a pair of longitudinal upper members 3 and 4, which are U-shaped in cross section, are spring supported by means of spring constructions, one at each of the ends of said upper members. Each spring construction comprises a circularly bent leaf spring 5 one end of which is connected to a clamping piece 6 for the corresponding end of an upper member, while the other end is secured to the corresponding end of a lower member. Arms 1 and helical springs 8 are provided for the lateral springing of the members I and 2.

The lower members I and 2 are transversely interconnected by means of two toggle levers 9, I0 and I I, I2 respectively, the outer ends of which are hinged to the lower members I and 2 respectively, whereas the inner ends have a common hinge point at I3 and I4 respectively. The stretched position of the toggle levers according to Fig. 1 is limited by abutments I5 and I6 respectively at the inner ends of the lever arms 9 and II respectively, said abutments I5 and I6 respectively being received in recesses I1 and I8 respectively of the other lever arms I0 and I2 respectively of the pair concerned. In Fig. 2 the lower members I and 2 are less spaced than in Fig. 1 so that on the upper members 3 and 4 a stretcher may be placed the legs of which in transverse direction are less spaced than those of a stretcher adapted to be placed on the upper members occupying the position according to Fig. 1. By means of clamping screws I9, 20 the adjusted position of the toggle levers may be fixed. The pivot pins at I3 may also form clamping screws.

Instead of the toggle levers 9, l0 illustrated a pair of diagonal cross members or braces 2|, 22 may be used, pivotally connected by means of a screw and wing nut connector 23 to one another midway of their length at the point where they cross each other. The ends of the braces have elongated longitudinal slots 24 therein pivotally connected by means of screw and wing nut con nector 25 to the lower members I, 2 of the stretcher support. By means of the screw and swing nut connectors at the crossing point of said braces and in the four slot in the end portions of said braces the latter may be fixed in a, desired adjusted position. The central screw 23 forms the pivot for the braces at their crossing point and the other screws 25 extend through the slots in the ends of the braces and are secured to the lower members.

I claim:

1. A stretcher support comprising a, pair of spaced parallel longitudinal upper members adapted to support the legs of a stretcher, a pair of spaced parallel lower members, spring means interconnecting said upper and lower members at each side of said stretcher support, adjustable members for varying the distance between said lower members, said lower members upon adjustment thereof also adjustably spacing said upper members spring-connected thereto.

2. A stretcher support comprising a pair of parallel longitudinal upper members adapted to support the legs of a stretcher, a pair of parallel lower members, spring means interconnecting said upper and lower members at each side of said stretcher support, angularly adjustable and 9,599,868 f A i 4 said lower members at spaced points thereon, said arms being adapted for varying the distance between said lower members upon angular adjustment thereof, said lower members upon adjustment thereof adjustably spacing said upper members spring connected thereto.

WILHE'LM FRANS RIEMVIS.

REFERENCES CITED V The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,300,533 Wessinger Apr. 15, 1919 1,482,370 Spilger Jan. 29, 1924 1,812,861 Chase -QI. July 7, 1931 2,154,833 Curtiss Apr. 13, 1939 2,459,080 Killius Jan. 11, 1949 

